Patterns, causes, and consequences of marine larval dispersal

D'Aloia, Cassidy; Bogdanowicz, Steven M.; Francis, Robin K.; Majoris, John E.; Harrison, Richard G.; Buston, Peter M.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1513754112

Cited by 152 publications

(202 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Our results are in broad agreement with two studies on coral groupers and snappers from the Great Barrier Reef 24 and Manus Island 26 that identified dispersal events up to 30 km away from spawning locations. However, a recent study 25 found that a pelagic-spawning goby inhabiting sponges on the Belize barrier reef with a larval duration of 18-34 days had a median dispersal distance of only 1.8 km, an order of magnitude lower than our estimates for A. percula, which spawn demersal eggs and have a much shorter pelagic larval duration (PLD). Marine reserves would need to be placed considerably closer together than is commonly achieved if the results from gobies in Belize are the rule rather than the exception and dispersal distances are commonly less than 10 km in coral-reef fishes.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 92%

“…Although reef fish larvae clearly have the potential for long-distance movements 14 , there is increasing evidence that dispersal may be more limited than previously assumed 15,16 . The most compelling evidence of larvae returning to natal or nearby reefs has come from chemical labelling of embryos 17,18 and genetic DNA parentage analyses [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] . However, few studies have been able to fully describe a dispersal kernel by determining the distances over which spatially fragmented subpopulations are connected by larval movements.…”

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Larval fish dispersal in a coral-reef seascape

et al. 2017

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Larval dispersal is a critical yet enigmatic process in the persistence and productivity of marine metapopulations. Empirical data on larval dispersal remain scarce, hindering the use of spatial management tools in efforts to sustain ocean biodiversity and fisheries. Here we document dispersal among subpopulations of clownfish (Amphiprion percula) and butterflyfish (Chaetodon vagabundus) from eight sites across a large seascape (10,000 km 2 ) in Papua New Guinea across 2 years. Dispersal of clownfish was consistent between years, with mean observed dispersal distances of 15 km and 10 km in 2009 and 2011, respectively. A Laplacian statistical distribution (the dispersal kernel) predicted a mean dispersal distance of 13-19 km, with 90% of settlement occurring within 31-43 km. Mean dispersal distances were considerably greater (43-64 km) for butterflyfish, with kernels declining only gradually from spawning locations. We demonstrate that dispersal can be measured on spatial scales sufficient to inform the design of and test the performance of marine reserve networks. R obust descriptions of larval dispersal are fundamental to studies of fish population dynamics 1,2 , fisheries management 3,4 and the design of reserve networks tasked with conserving ocean biodiversity 5,6 . Yet descriptions of larval dispersal patterns in ocean environments remain scarce. The combination of a pelagic larval phase that may last several days to many months and an ocean environment characterized by energetic diffusive and advective flows may allow passive larvae to disperse hundreds to thousands of kilometres from natal locations 7,8 . It has proved difficult, however, to verify directly how far fish larvae travel, because it is almost impossible to follow them as they disperse rapidly from spawning sites and are subject to high rates of natural mortality throughout the larval phase 9 . Our inability to describe the spatial extent of larval dispersal is problematic because our understanding of metapopulation dynamics relies on largely untested models that quantify where larvae arriving at a subpopulation originate from and where larvae spawned at each subpopulation eventually settle [10][11][12] . Moreover, to be of practical use, these data must be assembled on large enough scales for evaluating and optimizing spatial management strategies for fisheries or conservation 1,13 .Patches of reef habitat are frequently isolated from each other by deeper water that forms a barrier to adult movement, and so larval dispersal is likely to be a critical process in the persistence of many reef fish populations over demographic and evolutionary timescales 10,14 . Effective management of coral-reef seascapes is therefore particularly reliant on spatial tools to achieve conservation objectives. Although reef fish larvae clearly have the potential for long-distance movements 14 , there is increasing evidence that dispersal may be more limited than previously assumed 15,16 . The most compelling evidence of larvae returning to natal or nearby reefs has...

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Larval fish dispersal in a coral-reef seascape

et al. 2017

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“…As no large‐scale AEM was detected as significant, genetic variation at broad scale cannot be explained by passive larval dispersal. At such scale, genetic connectivity could result from processes such as adult mobility, demographic history, or multigenerational stepping stone larval dispersal (D'Aloia et al., 2015) that were not tested in our analyses. Larval dispersal is therefore expected to be better correlated to genetic variation at smaller scales, corresponding to the distances larvae can travel during 30 days.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic isolation and larval dispersal shape seascape genetic patterns differently according to spatial scale

Dalongeville

Andrello

Mouillot

et al. 2018

Evolutionary Applications

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Genetic variation, as a basis of evolutionary change, allows species to adapt and persist in different climates and environments. Yet, a comprehensive assessment of the drivers of genetic variation at different spatial scales is still missing in marine ecosystems. Here, we investigated the influence of environment, geographic isolation, and larval dispersal on the variation in allele frequencies, using an extensive spatial sampling (47 locations) of the striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus) in the Mediterranean Sea. Univariate multiple regressions were used to test the influence of environment (salinity and temperature), geographic isolation, and larval dispersal on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) allele frequencies. We used Moran's eigenvector maps (db‐MEMs) and asymmetric eigenvector maps (AEMs) to decompose geographic and dispersal distances in predictors representing different spatial scales. We found that salinity and temperature had only a weak effect on the variation in allele frequencies. Our results revealed the predominance of geographic isolation to explain variation in allele frequencies at large spatial scale (>1,000 km), while larval dispersal was the major predictor at smaller spatial scale (<1,000 km). Our findings stress the importance of including spatial scales to understand the drivers of spatial genetic variation. We suggest that larval dispersal allows to maintain gene flows at small to intermediate scale, while at broad scale, genetic variation may be mostly shaped by adult mobility, demographic history, or multigenerational stepping‐stone dispersal. These findings bring out important spatial scale considerations to account for in the design of a protected area network that would efficiently enhance protection and persistence capacity of marine species.

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“…This has been shown based upon larval recruitment back into a reserve (Harrison et al 2012, Almany et al 2013, microchemistry (Chittaro & Hogan 2013), and population genetics (Christie et al 2010, D'Aloia et al 2015. However, the shape and function of a larval dispersal network can change, depending on the species (Holstein et al 2014) and the timescales (Kough & Paris 2015) being considered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of an established marine protected area at sustaining a queen conch Lobatus gigas population during three decades of monitoring

Kough¹,

Cronin²,

Skubel³

et al. 2017

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designed to conserve and preserve the ecosystems and cultural resources of the ocean. In theory, protected populations flourish, replenish adjacent regions, and are self-sustaining. However, describing the efficacy of MPAs requires long-term monitoring. Queen conch Lobatus gigas are iconic Caribbean denizens with populations that have been decimated by overfishing and are slow to rebound due to density-dependent breeding. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (ECLSP) is a well-enforced, no-take, old, and large MPA. Surveys in 1994, 2011, and 2016 were used to track changes in the abundance, size, and age structure of conch within the park. Statistical models suggested that abundances of adults in 50 km of repeated towed-observer surveys had declined by 71% in 2016 relative to 2011. Further, the remaining conch populations were associated with tidal channels, and these model results agreed with independent observations in 40 km of expanded survey area. Measurements of shell lip thickness, an estimator of relative age, showed an increase relative to 1994 with the greatest effect in 2016, indicating senescence. The ECLSP population appears to be slowly dying of old age, and an early life history process has been altered. Upstream populations have been heavily fished while habitats within the park remain productive, suggesting that low local retention and a lack of exogenous larval sources are driving the decline. A network of MPAs encompassing the entire life cycle and dispersal envelope of targeted organisms is needed for proper conch conservation. Surveys focused on tidal channels could locate candidate upstream populations of conch.

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Patterns, causes, and consequences of marine larval dispersal

Cited by 152 publications

References 45 publications

Larval fish dispersal in a coral-reef seascape

Larval fish dispersal in a coral-reef seascape

Geographic isolation and larval dispersal shape seascape genetic patterns differently according to spatial scale

Efficacy of an established marine protected area at sustaining a queen conch Lobatus gigas population during three decades of monitoring

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